On Thursday, the King Salman Relief and Humanitarian Aid Center announced the signing of a cooperation agreement with the United Nations World Food Program valued at $60 million to meet the urgent food needs of the most vulnerable groups in 15 Yemeni governorates. The signing of the cooperation agreement supports the United Nations Humanitarian Response Plan for 2021 and helps alleviate a funding shortfall to prevent famine in Yemen. Last month, the funding provision for the humanitarian response plan in Yemen for the current year reached 43% of the plan's total of $3.85 billion.
Last week, the United States urged the international community, especially the neighboring countries of Yemen, to fulfill their pledges to increase funding for humanitarian efforts and warned that aid programs might have to cease operations if this did not occur. The cooperation agreement, signed on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting on humanitarian issues held in Brindisi, Italy, aims to secure 68,545 tons of food supplies for over 4.9 million people suffering from acute food insecurity in Yemen, lasting for six months.
Abdullah al-Rabeeah, advisor to the Saudi royal court and general supervisor of the King Salman Relief Center, stated in a statement that the agreement would contribute to providing food security for as many households and individuals in need as possible in various Yemeni governorates. Meanwhile, David Beasley, the executive director of the World Food Program, praised the Saudi support "for saving the lives of millions of those in need in Yemen."
Yemen has been experiencing a devastating war for the seventh consecutive year, leading the country to what the United Nations describes as the world's largest humanitarian crisis. An international coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to restore the internationally recognized government after it was ousted by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels from the capital, Sana'a, in late 2014. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, mostly among civilians, and pushed millions to the brink of famine. Approximately 80% of Yemen's population, about 24 million people, rely on humanitarian assistance for their daily sustenance.
